If your home has a serious defect, you have probably already discovered the real problem: it is not that nobody wants it, it is that nobody can get a mortgage on it. Once lenders say no, the pool of potential buyers shrinks to people who can pay cash, and an estate agent sale can drag on for months while buyer after buyer falls through at the survey stage.
Cash house buyers can solve that, but not all of them will. Many companies that advertise “we buy any house” quietly decline properties with structural issues, short leases or non-standard construction once they see the survey. This guide focuses only on the companies that state they buy problem properties, and explains what each specialises in, so you can call the right one first.
Why Problem Properties Attract Bigger Discounts
A typical house buyers cash offer for a property in reasonable condition is around 75–85% of market value. For a property with a significant defect, the offer is usually lower, and it helps to understand why before you compare figures.
The buyer is pricing in three things: the cost of putting the problem right, the risk that the problem turns out to be worse than it looks, and the fact that the property cannot be resold to a mortgage buyer until it is fixed. The best buyers will show you how they reached their number. If a buyer cannot explain its discount, treat that as a warning sign.
The other thing to understand is that surveys are where most offer reductions happen. A defect that was mentioned on the phone but not fully understood until the surveyor visits can lead to a revised figure. That is why a buyer’s survey process, and its record on post-survey changes, matters more for problem properties than for any other kind of sale.
Which Buyer Handles Which Problem
| Problem | Why it is hard to sell | Buyers that state they handle it |
| Structural damage, damp, fire or flood damage | Lenders may refuse until repaired; repair costs are uncertain | Property Rescue, Property Solvers, Open Property Group |
| Hoarder houses and heavily cluttered homes | Clearance costs and access for surveys | Property Rescue |
| Short leases | Lenders are often reluctant to lend on shorter leases, and extension costs can be high | Open Property Group, House Buy Fast, SmoothSale |
| Subsidence and mining-affected homes | Insurance history and lender caution | Open Property Group, House Buy Fast |
| Spray foam insulation | Many lenders and surveyors will not value homes with it | Open Property Group |
| Cladding | Lenders may require an EWS1 form for affected flats | House Buy Fast |
| Japanese knotweed | Requires a professional management plan before most lenders will proceed | Property Solvers, Property Rescue |
| Title problems, restrictive covenants, flying freeholds | Legal defects that can block lending | Property Solvers, Property Rescue |
1. Property Rescue
Specialises in: serious structural and condition problems, hoarder houses, and homes sold with contents.
Property Rescue has been buying homes directly since 2005 and states that it will buy “any house” in any condition. That includes severe damp, structural damage to roofs and foundations, fire and water damage, mould, pest infestations, outdated electrics and plumbing, and properties sold with or without their contents. It also has a dedicated service for hoarder houses, one of the hardest property types to sell through an agent because surveys often cannot be carried out properly until the home is cleared.
The reason it leads this list is its survey process. Before a formal offer is made, the property is inspected and documented independently, two local estate agents appraise it, and a chartered surveyor carries out a survey. That front-loads the investigation, so problems are identified before you accept an offer rather than after. Property Rescue states that in 95% of cases the formal offer after survey matches the initial offer. For a problem property, where post-survey reductions are most common, that is the most important figure any buyer can give you.
Sellers pay no fees, legal costs are covered, and completion typically takes two to four weeks. For owners who would rather aim closer to market value, Property Rescue also offers an assisted sale on request. It has been an NAPB member since January 2014, is registered with The Property Ombudsman (TPO), and holds a 4.8 Trustpilot rating from 409 reviews.
- Coverage: England and Wales
- Typical offer: around 80% of market value
- Website: Property Rescue
2. Open Property Group
Specialises in: short leases, subsidence, spray foam insulation, HMOs, ground rent issues and commercial property.
Open Property Group, a family-run business in Gerrards Cross that has been buying for cash since 2014, publishes one of the broadest lists of problem property types in the sector. It specifically names short leases with under 70 years remaining, subsidence, fire damage and spray foam insulation, all of which are common reasons for mortgage refusal.
It quotes offers of up to 85% of value, pays legal fees whether you use its solicitor or your own, and covers England and Wales. It has been an NAPB member since 2016 and is registered with TPO.
Its Trustpilot rating is 4.3 from 152 reviews. Some negative reviews describe offers revised because of leasehold and ground rent issues found during the legal work, and one reports a £10,000 reduction two days after acceptance. If you are selling a leasehold flat, send the lease and the latest service charge and ground rent demands at the start, so the offer is based on the full picture.
- Coverage: England and Wales
- Website: openpropertygroup.com
3. Property Solvers
Specialises in: Japanese knotweed, title defects, restrictive covenants, flying freeholds, derelict buildings and land.
Property Solvers has been operating since the mid-2000s (its company was incorporated in 2006) and is based in Long Eaton, Nottingham. Its specialisms lean towards house buyers legal problems as much as physical ones: defective titles, restrictive covenants and flying freeholds can make a property unmortgage able even when it is in good condition, and few cash buyers mention them.
It is also one of the few firms that offers a genuine choice of route. Alongside a direct cash purchase, it runs 28-day and 56-day auctions and an estate agency service, charged at 1.5% plus VAT (minimum £1,500 plus VAT). For a problem property, auction can sometimes achieve more than a cash offer because it reaches investors and developers who specialise in that kind of defect.
Its cash offers are typically 75–80% of market value according to its FAQs, and it states that it has never dropped a price at the last minute. It is an NAPB member, registered with TPO, a member of Propertymark (NAEA), and holds a 4.9 Trustpilot rating from 191 reviews. Some reviewers felt offers on badly affected properties, such as a cladded flat, were very low.
- Coverage: England, Scotland and Wales
- Website: propertysolvers.co.uk
4. House Buy Fast
Specialises in: short leases, cladding, mining-affected and subsidence-affected homes.
House Buy Fast, a Worthing company trading since 2008, holds the earliest membership date on the NAPB register (December 2013) and is registered with TPO. It specifically lists short-lease flats with under 80 years remaining, cladding, and properties affected by mining or subsidence, which makes it a useful contact for former mining areas and for flats in buildings with cladding questions.
It quotes up to 85% of market value, covers sellers’ legal costs, and states that sellers can withdraw at any point up to exchange. The same company also runs an online estate agency, Get An Offer, which gives sellers an agency route if the cash figure is too low. It holds a 4.7 Trustpilot rating from 218 reviews.
- Coverage: UK-wide
- Website: housebuyfast.co.uk
5. SmoothSale
Specialises in: short leases and homes in any condition, with a price-matching pledge.
SmoothSale is a Leeds-based trading name of PLH Capital Limited, incorporated in 2021, whose founders have worked in the sector since 2015. It buys short-lease flats and homes in any condition across England and Wales, quotes 80–85% of market value, covers legal fees, and says it buys with its own funds.
Its most useful feature for problem property sellers is its pledge to beat any genuine house buyers cash offer. Because offers on defective homes vary more widely than on standard ones, that gives you real leverage if you have already had a quote elsewhere. It has been an NAPB member since 2022, is registered with TPO, and holds a 4.8 Trustpilot rating from 395 reviews.
- Coverage: England and Wales
- Website: smoothsale.co.uk
A Note on Buyers That Will Not Take Problem Properties
Not every reputable buyer is the right call for a defective home. Quick Move Now, for example, is one of the longest-established firms in the sector, but it states that it only buys properties that are “structurally sound and mortgageable”. That is a perfectly reasonable policy, and it is better to know it upfront than to find out after a survey. Before you spend time on an offer, ask any buyer directly whether it buys properties with your specific problem.
How to Get a Fair Offer on a Problem Property
- Disclose everything at the start. The fastest way to lose a sale is for a surveyor to find something you already knew about. Send any surveys, structural engineer reports, insurance claims or knotweed management plans with your first enquiry.
- Get a repair quote of your own. If a buyer reduces its offer by £30,000 for a defect that a contractor would fix for £8,000, you need that quote to push back.
- Ask how the discount was calculated. A good buyer will separate the standard cash discount from the deduction for the defect.
- Get a second cash offer. Offers on problem homes vary widely. One other quote is often enough to show whether the first is fair.
- Ask about other routes. If you are not under severe time pressure, auction or an assisted sale may achieve more.
- Check the buyer’s accreditation. NAPB members and TPO-registered firms must not reduce an offer late without a valid reason, and must explain that reason in writing.
Final Thoughts
A problem property usually means a bigger discount, but the discount should match the problem. Before accepting any offer:
- get your own repair quote
- ask the buyer to separate the standard cash discount from the deduction for the defect
- confirm in writing that it will buy a property with your specific issue
Share every report you have at the start, because surprises at the survey stage are where most offers fall. If time allows, compare a cash offer against an auction or an assisted sale. Specialist house buyers on those routes sometimes pay more for exactly the kind of defect that puts mortgage lenders off.
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